Smyrna times., 1887-06-15
The Laurel Jubilee,
OVER THE CAPTURE OF RICHMOND. AND
BREAKING THE BACKBONE OF
THE REBELLION"


THE REBELLION"
The following from the pen of Rev
Or. Adam Wallace, editor of the Ocean
Gr0ce hecOrd, is one of many reminis-
cences of the war in lower Delaware
and Maryland where was his field of
labor during the whole of that stormy
period, recently written for the PenilI-
SuLdr Methodist
1t was the evening of April 5th. 1865.
and as l have before intimated. the
preliminary arrangements were under
the direction Of Rev. James Hubbard.
James, in disposition was as pacific as
a Quaker, but on the line of intense
loyalty, he never would show the
white feather. In all my tribulations.
as partially narrated in this series of
letters, he was a trusted adviser. and 7
was cOmfOrted and helped by his un-
tagging sympathy. | had Just com
menced my pastOrate at Salem NJ. E.
Church, Philadel phia and returned TO
Laurel to move my family to the city,
when | was prevailed upon to remain
and help the jubilee through with a
speech, as there was nobody else on
hand, for that part of the programme.
We had village band, whose prac-
tice for a twelvemOth back had
often nearly driven me to dis
traction, by their execution of two
or three,tunes, in which they had notyet
attained proficiency. Their political
fibre was rather too promiscuous. to
Hail Columbia" ;" or any of the loval
pieces allied to the Star SpangIed
banner" Several of the number were
partial to a score called Dixie" but
while they would not play Yankee
Doodle" for us, wouldn't allow them,
with our patriotic enthusiasm at high
pressure, to blow solitary note that
savOred of secession.
The illumination was gotten up in a
simple way, with an extra supply of
lighted candles inside the windows of
those dwellings and stores, where I'm
ion people happened to live. l think it
was a fact, that two thirds of the town
remained that night in the gloom of
disappointed ambition.
A larger squad of the merchants, the
tavern loungers, and l regret to say,
the ladies, seemed to be mad. than of
those who rejOiced in victory to the
Union armies. 1t was an unpleasant
pill too, that among the first regiments
to enter Richmond, were some of our
colored troops, men who a few years
before, had been at the mercy of rebel
regulators, in that very community.
For this class especially, | had SO
often been brought into trouble and
accusation, that the above fact was not
I hn
stand on an empty dry goods box at
Sirman's corner, and harrangue the
towns people on the glorious termina-
ton of the war. This was my oppOr-
tunity to crow little. For three years
had lived there. with my life almost
in my hand; and in reviewing those
years, had plenty of living illustra-
tiOns to refer to, that the wav of the
transgressOr is hard. My audience was
diversified. All the black faces in town
were shining with exultatiOn, but
their behavior was habitually modest.
| They hardly venture to raise a cheer,
although, with hat in hand, when
run out of everything else to say, l
kept calling for three cheers" In
the shadows of the hotel porch, oppo.
site where my grand stand" was i'm
/ proVlsed, the opposition mustered in
force and evinced their derision by
groans, and emphatic silence.
Taking up the line of march, we
formed a struggling procession, and
cheered every house which dared to
show light. l think made four set
speeches, at different angles of the
town; the last being in front of Bro.
Hubbard's store, where, among the
decorations in his window, he had the
the temerity to exhibit a cOlored bishop
of the NJ. E. Church. Ordinarily he
would have been the last man to do
anything of set purpose to anger his
neighbors, but this was enough to make
Rome howl"
An episode of the evening with my
self was. almost as a matter of course, a
fight. 1 do not take any particular
self-gratulatiOn, in recurring so often
to events of this unpleasant character /;
but believe this was the last ever had.
At the most public spot in the town the
illumination took the form of fire balls,
which in the absence of rockets, RO-
man candles and other pyrOtecnics,
made fine display. A ball of yarn or
or rags, dipped in coal oil and set blaz-
ing, was quickly thrown into the air {;
this followed by scores of others, soon
made the scene lively-the first up
with the ball when it fell, sezed it and
threw it again.
This rough sort of amusement was
going on, when l observed a man
| quite active running to catch the fire
I balls, who always threw them directly
into the faces of the cOlOred people,
who were in crowd huddled to
themselves. l couldn't stand this, and
! appealed to the fellow not to do so /;
but without success. At length | ran
close to him saying, Sam, you must
stop it. If you throw another YOU
shall take the consequences. He was
not to be scared, and soon threw an
other; but the next instant he heard
something drop. He was on the broad
of his back in the middle of the street.
A sudden push, with little applied
science in the art of tripping, did it,
and it was so sudden he couldn't col
lect his faculties for some moments, or
discover the cause.
slipped away amid the laughter,
and got to bed about midnight, so
hOarse l could hardly speak above a
whisper. Next morning, however, l
found him in a very bad humOr. He
wanted to settle up the matter with
me. "O," said l, :" it is all settled. We
settled it finally last night. You were
told what would happen and it turned
out just So"
He thought he ought to whip me,
and would have done so at the time,
had he known it was me. persuaded
him not to be ugly over it; for any
man doing as he did was mean and
cowardly, and ought to be knocked
down every time, without ceremony.
He then let me off.
Thanks to the Newspapers.